Resources
Practical guidance on telecoms, ICT procurement, and resilient network design.
Whitepapers
A collection over 30 years of industry experience in downloadable content.
Emergency Calling Test Probes: Distributed Assurance for Centralised Telecommunications Architectures
July 2026
As emergency calling becomes more dependent on centralised platforms, national routing, shared infrastructure and software-based service logic, assurance needs to extend to the edge of the network, where emergency calls actually begin. That assurance should be nationally led, because emergency calling is experienced by the public as one essential service, not as a collection of provider-managed platforms.
EMERGENCY SERVICES
DEDICATED LTE CAPABILITY
A service and operating capability perspective
October 2020 (updated July 2026)
The design of public safety broadband should begin with the operational service that agencies and users need, then work back to the network, systems, processes and organisations required to deliver it.
A dedicated LTE core is not a self-contained service. Its value depends on the surrounding capabilities that provision users, control identities and devices, interconnect voice and messaging, meet regulatory obligations, assure performance and support continuous development.
The key decision is therefore not simply whether emergency services should own or control an LTE core. It is which operating model can provide the required control, resilience, service quality and accountability across the complete lifecycle of the service.
International Roaming for Public Safety
A discussion paper on roaming models, dependencies and areas for standardisation
December 2022 (updated July 2026)
International roaming for public safety users is more complex than ordinary consumer roaming. In addition to basic connectivity, a workable model must preserve mission-critical service behaviour across commercial, public safety and international network boundaries.
This paper outlines the relationships, routing principles, architecture choices and roaming scenarios that need to be considered. It also identifies areas where existing GSMA roaming processes may need to be extended to support mission-critical applications (MCX).
Central issue
A public safety user may be technically able to register on a visited network but still not receive the access, quality of service, priority, application reachability or operational assurance required for mission-critical use.
Mobile Network Resilience: Preventing Failure and Restoring Service Faster
October 2023 (updated July 2026)
Mobile connectivity has become integral to the operation of emergency services, businesses, critical infrastructure and communities. During a major disruption, the loss of mobile service affects much more than voice and data. It can prevent emergency calls, interrupt public warning, isolate communities, disrupt electronic payments and make it harder for people to confirm that family and friends are safe.
This paper provides a practical framework for improving mobile network resilience. It draws on industry experience during Cyclone Gabrielle in February 2023, analysis of historic incidents, international research, and interviews with telecommunications and emergency-services stakeholders.
The recommendations address three related objectives: increasing resilience to service failure, reducing the time required to restore service, and providing alternative communications while normal service is unavailable.